The 10 Best Sports Movies Based On True Stories

There's nothing like a good sports movie. Even at their worst, you can expect a rousing, feel-good romp or a fascinating deep dive into the mind of an athletically gifted individual. Hollywood has no shortage of stories in which a last-second shot or touchdown determines a character's fate, and audiences turn up in droves to see heroes like Rocky Balboa or Daniel LaRusso overcome their demons and vanquish their opponents to achieve eternal fame and glory.

Still, fact often triumphs over fiction. The only thing better than watching Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) hit the game-winning home run in "The Natural" is seeing Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt) do the same in "Moneyball" — and knowing it actually happened. True-life tales hit harder because they don't rely on fictional elements to deliver crowd-pleasing thrills. One could argue these stories are more powerful because they prove that magic is more than Hollywood hocus-pocus. 

As proof, we've cobbled together a list of the 10 best sports movies based on true stories, ranked from good to great. Enjoy! 

While far from a great sports movie, 1993's "Rudy" checks all the emotional boxes with its larger-than-life depiction of Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger (played by a post-"Goonies", pre-"Lord of the Rings" Sean Astin), even while overdramatizing actual events. Who cares? Directed by David Anspaugh (less than a decade after helming "Hoosiers"), this inspiring tale follows a lovable, feisty underdog hellbent on playing for Notre Dame football. Physical limitations, notably his 5-foot-6 frame, prevent him from likely making the team, while he also lacks the grades required to attend the college.

No matter! Rudy perseveres and fights to the end, and with the help of a kindly teaching assistant (Jon Favreau), earns the necessary GPA required to enroll in the school. He then tries out for the team and quickly earns the respect of coaches and teammates, culminating in one shot at eternal glory in the last game of the season.

Predictable, earnest to a fault, and a tad overblown — "This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen," Rudy's father (Ned Beatty) says upon arriving at Notre Dame Stadium — "Rudy" nonetheless produces goosebumps thanks to Astin's committed performance and Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score. The picture even brings Astin to tears. Say it with us: "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"

Toss aside the disappointing ending, and "A League of Their Own" might rank as an all-time classic. Alas, director Penny Marshall gets too caught up in the hokey rivalry between sisters Dorothy "Dottie" Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty), which inevitably leads to a championship game showdown and a gut-wrenching conclusion that undermines the incredibly entertaining two hours that precede it. (It actually could have been worse!)

Still, despite its bumpy landing, this fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which operated from 1943 to 1954, remains one of the most memorable sports films ever made. Credit goes to Tom Hanks' foul-mouthed, scene-stealing performance ("There's no crying in baseball!"), a star-studded ensemble including Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, David Strathairn, and Jon Lovitz, and the film's nostalgic, romanticized depiction of baseball.

Really, when you think about it, the bummer ending almost feels fitting as an accurate reflection of sports, where happy endings are rare, and yes, crying is absolutely allowed.

The world of horse racing may not seem like the ideal backdrop for a stirring sports drama. But against all odds, writer/director Gary Ross delivers a heartfelt tale about a group of broken people whose lives are transformed by an extraordinary horse. "Seabiscuit" wears its heart on its sleeve and occasionally leans a little too hard on emotional manipulation, but it earns high marks for its strong performances, breathtaking racing sequences, and John Schwartzman's vibrant cinematography.

Tobey Maguire (who almost lost his "Spider-Man" gig due to the role) stars as John "Red" Pollard, a taller-than-average jockey still reeling from being abandoned by his parents during the Great Depression. Red catches the eye of Charles S. Howard (Jeff Bridges), an influential businessman who invests in a smaller-than-average horse named Seabiscuit, and requires a rider to get him on the track. Before long, our disgruntled jockey and four-legged underdog form a magical bond that leads them to fame and glory, all the while mending their broken souls.

Co-starring Chris Cooper and Elizabeth Banks, "Seabiscuit" is a sure-fire crowd pleaser that will draw as many tears as cheers. 

Critics initially dismissed "Remember the Titans" as a trite fantasy that punted on heavy themes like racial injustice in favor of a by-the-numbers, PG-rated, feel-good story that was more fantasy than fact-based. Boaz Yakin's 2000 drama, based on T.C. Williams High School's magical 1971 football season, certainly Disney-fied its story — like, a lot — and yet, it remains a poignant, inspiring tale about people coming together to achieve an impossible dream.

In short, it's the kind of film we could use more of — one that shows the world not necessarily as it is but as it could be. As Roger Ebert aptly stated, "Real life is never this simple, but then that's what the movies are for."

Denzel Washington delivers a powerful performance as Herman Boone, newly appointed coach of T.C. Williams High School at a time of heightened racial segregation. With the help of former head coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), Boone forces his team to look past skin color and unify on the football field, paving the way for an improbable championship run. 

Keep an eye out for early appearances by young Hayden Panettiere and teenage Ryan Gosling.

Move over "Field of Dreams!" "Ford v Ferrari" will likely go down in history as the ultimate dad flick (time will tell if Brad Pitt's "F1" has what it takes to steal the crown). James Mangold's muscular drama chronicles the Ford Motor Company's high-stakes battle with Ferrari during the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it arrives packed to the brim with gearhead lingo and a bunch of shiny toys. Viewers will likely come away knowing more about engines, tires, and track conditions than they ever learned in shop class. 

If that weren't enough, director James Mangold hones in on the tense rivalry between the even-keeled Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and the hard-headed Ken Miles (Christian Bale), a bromance with enough dramatic heft to ensure grown men are left reaching for the Kleenex in the final reel. Don't worry, the film also contains plenty of exciting set pieces designed to knock your socks off, as well as a moral query into the cynical art of marketing, where human beings are secondary to the almighty dollar.

It's a finely tuned machine with strong performances and sturdy direction — even if it seems more focused on getting the job done than reinventing the wheel.

We often cite Michael Mann's "Ali" as an all-time great boxing picture, and it's for good reason. This masterful biopic pulls no punches, delivering an intimate, unflinching portrait of a man who transcended the boxing ring to become a global icon.

Will Smith delivers a career-best performance as Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, capturing his boisterous personality and incredible physicality (including impressive fight sequences) with eerie precision. At times, you forget you're watching an actor, as Smith is just that convincing. He more than earned his Oscar nomination (and arguably, the win).

"Ali" chronicles the boxer's life from 1964 to 1974, a decade that saw him stripped of his heavyweight title and boxing license, following his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. We also see his relationship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles), journalist Howard Cosell (an unrecognizable Jon Voight), and various trainers and girlfriends, allowing us to understand the motivation that pushed Ali to reclaim his title against George Foreman in the famed Rumble in the Jungle.

Shot with Mann's signature visual flair, and meticulous devotion to detail, "Ali" is a sensational retelling of a fascinating figure, and a powerful story of resilience, identity, and defiance. For bonus points, watch the director's cut, released on Blu-ray in 2017.

David Anspaugh's "Hoosiers" remains the de facto crowd pleaser, a true underdog story, and one of the finest sports pictures ever produced. Writer Angelo Pizzo emphasizes human drama, crafting a story about second chances that happens to involve the game of basketball. Yes, we all know Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) will sink the final shot. But when he does, the moment still brings a lump to the throat — not because of the numbers on the scoreboard, but because we've grown to care so deeply about Coach Norman Dale (a superb Gene Hackman, who thought he would never work again after completing the picture) and his ragtag team of Indiana farm boys.

Loosely based on the 1954 Milan High School basketball team, this 1984 drama sees Dale, a disgraced former college coach, accept a head coaching position at a small high school in Hickory, Indiana. There, he butts heads with the locals, befriends the local drunk (Dennis Hopper), and falls for a disgruntled teacher (Hershey), all while instilling discipline, unity, and belief in his players.

The magic of "Hoosiers" cannot be denied — it's guaranteed to make you stand up and weep. 

"Moneyball," Bennett Miller's fascinating adaptation of Michael Lewis' 2003 novel, takes a cold, hard look at the numbers that effectively make up the sporting world and attempts to present an alternative path to success. Based on the Oakland Athletics' 2002 season, the film follows general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), who has grown tired of losing to richer ball clubs like the New York Yankees. As such, he teams up with Yale economics graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to upend the system, utilizing sabermetrics to build a team of underappreciated castoffs, bypassing traditional scouting methods. Naturally, Beane's approach draws the ire of many in the sport, but it allows him to create a winning ball club on a shockingly minuscule budget.   

Like previous entries on this list, "Moneyball" plays loose with facts, neglecting to mention key players who joined the team through traditional methods, to embellish its underdog spirit. Even so, Miller taps a nerve by focusing on the financial aspect of sports. As Beane notes, it's an unfair game that caters to the big spenders and too often leaves the little guy in the dust, ironically clearing the bases for a story like "Moneyball." As Beane learns, sports are less about winning and more about the will to keep fighting, no matter the odds.

And to think, this sucker almost didn't get made!

As we've seen throughout this list, a film about sports can either A) show how sports bring people together or B) tell a human interest story set against the sporting landscape. David O. Russell's "The Fighter" manages to do both – and does so with bruising, heartfelt intensity.

Based on the true-life tale of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg, in one of his best roles) and his older, half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), this 2010 Oscar winner presents a dysfunctional family that eventually finds a semblance of unity through boxing. But "The Fighter" also dives deep into Dicky's drug issues, showing a troubled man whose problems drastically affect those around him, especially his younger brother. It's a surprisingly intimate, often funny tale about how a family is often equally intrinsic and determinant to success. Micky may long to escape with the tough, no-nonsense bartender (Amy Adams), but he ultimately realizes that success isn't possible without his family in his corner.

Shot with the same manic energy that the controversial Russell applied to films such as "Three Kings" and "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Fighter" is a modern classic that hits the feels in all the right ways.  

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull is frequently listed among the greatest films ever made, and we won't argue. But unlike many of the uplifting sports stories on this list, "Raging Bull" plays by an entirely different set of rules. It isn't about triumph or redemption — it's about how fame, violence, and unchecked ego can ruin a man.

Robert De Niro stars as Jake LaMotta, a middleweight boxer on the rise. Ironically, the abrasive personality that led him to fame and fortune in the boxing ring creates problems in his personal life. He's abusive toward his wife (Vickie LaMotta) and brother (Joe Pesci), and too impulsive for his own good, creating issues that lead to his undoing. It's the classic Scorsese arc: rags to riches to rags, rendered in haunting black-and-white by cinematographer Michael Chapman and elevated by De Niro's electrifying, Oscar-winning performance.

"Raging Bull" doesn't aim to inspire. It's a devastating portrait of pride and self-destruction, and a gut punch to the traditional Hollywood sports story. (Keep your eyes peeled for Scorsese's cameo!)